Nightwish | Tuomas & Tarja interview | 20.5.1998 @ Jyrki

Translation:

Announcer : "So, with this video things, became pretty rushed, apparently. What actually happened there?"
Tuomas [Tu]: "We started working on it right on time, months ago, but the finishing touches were left until last night. Late last night..."
A: "Did it still emerge the way you hoped?"
Tu: "Excellently."
Tarja [Ta]: "I just now saw it so that I'm QUITE satisfied."
A: "Did it look like you thought it would in the shootings?"
Ta: "Well it was indeed... W-When it was being shot, I was the only one doing it from the whole gang from our band so it was indeed a rough feat, you were like 'o-o-h, I'm scared!' But it was all right, all--"
A: "In any case, your visit in this particular environment [the show] has provoked in the media, the new media, that is, the Internet, much, very much, all kinds of comments. Where do you guys think this kind of popularity in the field to your band comes from?
A: "Because you've not given that many gigs so far..."
Tu: "Well we've sure made no gigs. It's of course... The record [Angels Fall First] has been out since last fall so there's been plenty of time to get to know [to it]. Maybe that's the reason..."
Ta: "Maybe it's such a new thing in Finland. As of yet, there still has not been such in any case... A classical singer in heavy metal bands. It is quite a novel... phenomenon so... As such, we were scared to start doing this. But so wonderful that it's now paid off..."
A: "We'll go to your singing later [Tarja]. I'm here asking these questions from the audience. Pseudonym PUNISHER... Been sent like this: 'Ask Nightwish if they're RPG players, in 'Elvenpath' there are at least lyrics to that effect.' Does this thing in question hold true?"
Tu: "We're not RPG players at least in the true sense of the word. So, the lyrics derive from literature."
A: "Right. Then we've this, I'll give it to you to keep, an extremely positive e-mail has been sent where you're praised. I don't need it, keep it to yourselves. Then! This kind of threat... Threat-toned thingy: 'If you f* with Nightwish in the interview, I guarantee you that if you've a single computer connected to the net, it won't function during this year.' See here Mr. [inaudible], I can water down your threat: our computers are never working in any case! So we've nothing to lose in that sense. Where do you get such psychopath fans for your orchestra?"
Tu: "Hard to say. Good they're there in any case."
A: "Here you go, you can keep the rest also."
Tu: "Thank you."
A: "Let's now talk about the record itself. To my understanding, it also went abroad for sale. To which places actually, not as far as France, right?"
Tu: "Yeah, so far it's been shipped to Germany and England of the foreign countries, Nordic countries."
A: "Right."
Tu: "And the market niche for just this kind of music there precisely in the middle parts of Europe. In Germany and thereabouts."
A: "Well, has there been any tidings from that location as of yet, how the album has hit people?"
Ta: "Only positive. Especially of course from Germany. Or at least to my ears. Germany has been very positively... Receiving us... Even desirous... There."
A: "It's still been quite some time already. So there must have been some kind of 'silent system' in between. Why?"
Tu: "So this [album] came out in Finland much earlier than abroad, so this came out only a month and a half ago in Germany and England."
A: "And now you've not been doing so much apparently, except the video. Have you had other things to do or...?"
Ta: "Yes. We've had other things to do. My busy affairs, they're very much this sort of... Classical music singing and studying at this moment. So we've arranged time tables so that the rest of the spring has to be quiet like so."
A: "Right."
Tu: "And in addition, half of our band were serving in the army [Finnish conscription service] until recently..."
Ta: "That too."
Tu: "From there, it's of course hard to get anywhere."
A: "Yeah, the situation is quite peculiar as a whole in that there is a female lead singer in this type of band, let alone a trained one. How did a solution like this take off then?"
A: "Have you been frightened with such a maniac"
Ta: "Goddamnit, there was indeed some of such crazyness... The feeling was such when on a winter evening the boys came, wait, 2 years ago?"
Ta: "Yes. So, to ask 'will you sing on a demo?' so it was indeed like 'Oh what, heavy metal?' But, yes I've liked a lot. It's not been an obstacle at all."
A: "Is it hard to do both things at once so that...?"
Ta: "Everything is a matter of arrangement after all."
A: "Well how is it with you on behalf of the band, how big an asset does it feel that there's this kind of unique thing?"
A: "How much is the band dependent on this?
Tu: "It is to be sure. I must admit Tarja is like a trade mark to us. So of course they... There is much else, the songs have to be good and so on but, it is Tarja's voice that the listener gets to hear the most."